Travel Tip

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Upon exiting the international arrival hall at Male Airport, turn to your left. You will find a Dhiraagu shop. I got a 3G Prepaid SIM Card + additional 4.5GB of data for a total of US$55.
Plugged it into a Huawei Mifi router and it more than lasted my 7 days stay - laptop surfing the internet + mobile phone messages + posting photos online. Speed was very decent, I got about 4 mbps in the resort we stayed in. Room wifi rates at the resort were around US$30 a day, although there was free wifi available at the main lobby and common pool area.

If you are planning to get a 3G prepaid SIM card in Bangkok, it is hassle free. Once coming out of the arrival section, lookout for the AIS booth. 599 baht buys you a prepaid SIM card with 1GB data valid for 30 days and voice calls (subject to utilization and drawing down of your prepaid credits). You will be asked for the size of the SIM upon purchase and no photo ID is required.

Sometime back I was in Taipei for holiday, I didn't want to pay for expensive data roaming charges and hotel wifi charges. I got a local prepaid SIM with 5 days of 3G unlimited Internet access for NT$350. The only caveat is, you need to have 2 photo IDs at the point of purchase as they need to verify both your photo IDs and register the SIM to your IDs.

Having used many different power banks, most does not allow you to charge it and charge your phone at the same time. WIth the Sony CPF2LS Portable USB Charger - 7,000 mAh I can charge it and my 2 other USB devices all at once. This is especially useful when you are travelling with limited travel adaptors and limited time.

I am sure many of you would agree, that travelling these days with a bag full of gadgets and as many power adapters or chargers is a nightmare! Each time I travel for business, I leave the hotel in the morning and only get back late at night. I bring with me 2 mobile phones (sometimes another Blackberry), iPad, 2 power banks and 1 laptop.